GCSEN Foundation and SOCAP Moving the World to a Better Place by Helping Millennials Make Meaning and Make Money

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 16, 2017 /PRNewswire/ — The Global Center for Social Entrepreneurship Network (GCSEN) Foundation and SOCAP (Social Capital Markets) share a vision, a mission to foster social entrepreneurship and a pragmatic approach to teaching social entrepreneurs to combine making meaning and making money. GCSEN team members Ronald Zorrilla, Director of Operations and Joseph Szocik, Managing Director of Research and Innovation had the opportunity to learn from and network with dozens of world class subject matter experts and leading organizations.

GCSEN Foundation team members Joe Szocik and Ronald Zorrilla at the Social Capital Markets 2017 conference.

SOCAP (Social Capital Markets) is in the vanguard of the emerging global impact economy — convening ideas and capital to catalyze world change. They are a network of investors, entrepreneurs, and social impact leaders addressing the world’s toughest challenges through market-based solutions and is the leading gathering for impact investors and social entrepreneurs. SOCAP 17 celebrates their 10th Anniversary showing the way for entrepreneurs how to combine Money + Meaning.

GCSEN shares the vision of the SOCAP founders Rosa Lee Harden and Kevin Jones, to promote greater peace and prosperity in local community economies and eventually regional, national and international economies by supporting a growing generation of social entrepreneurs, their teachers, mentors who support them and the impact investors, entrepreneurial philanthropists and sponsors who seek to invest in them.

GCSEN Foundation was established with the support of visionary philanthropists and partners Diana Davis Spencer Foundation, Wheaton College, Sheri and Eric Sobrato-Brisson Trust and Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and Len and Lois Green Foundation.

As a new, two year old Non-Profit Foundation, GCSEN continues to improve its Higher Education Initiatives and Social Entrepreneur training programs from the subject sessions on Impact Investing, Neighborhood Economics, Education, Sustainable Livelihoods and others; as well as by networking with many of the 3000 leaders, practitioners from over 1500 organizations from leading Colleges, Foundations, Non-Profit Agencies, and Private Sector.

Many of the sessions focused on the systemic origins of the challenges our community is working to solve, and the creation or implementation of solutions that will seed much needed change. Some insightful takeaways included:

James Higa currently ‎Executive Director of the Philanthropic Ventures Foundation, former Apple Executive and a close colleague of the legendary Steve Jobs, shared some of the key lessons he learned working with Steve Jobssuch as Simplicity = Clarity and Don’t hire Bozos, A players should hire A+ players.

Debra Schwarz Managing Director of Impact Investments for the MacArthur Foundation described in detail “How foundations can make scale of impact possible”.

Jamie P Merisotis President and CEO of the Lumina Foundation describe the Foundation’s commitment to supporting ‘system –wide change in education”.

Tracy Palandjian is a Board Member of the Surdna Foundation described the “importance of growing local economies”.

Hunter Lovins, President of Natural Capitalism Solutions, described in detail how “we now have the technology and know-how to eliminate use of fossil fuels, provide clean water and food for all ” In a private meeting with Joe Szocik, after hearing about GCSEN and its programs, she remarked “that she was impressed with what we are doing and was available as a resource.”

Jed Emerson, founder of Blended Value, Co-Author with Anthony Bugg-Levine of “Impact Investing” and Co=Author of “Strategic Tools for Social Entrepreneurs” with J.Gregory Dees met with Joe Szocik and complimented us on our “Great work” and offered to meet with GCSEN.

The lessons learned from these world class speakers and others will be applied to strengthening GCSEN’s Social Entrepreneur Systems (SES) Initiative with the ongoing development and application of its Pracademic Methodology to improve the delivery of social entrepreneur education at colleges and its on-going partnership with Wheaton College. The GCSEN team looks forward to presenting a session on its work at next year’s SOCAP conference.